How to Win the Girl
by POTC-HarryPotter
Summary: It is their last year at Hogwarts, James and the Marauders have run out of ideas to get Lily to fall for him. When Sirius gives James a muggle love guidebook as a joke, James actually starts reading it as a last resort. Who knew it would work?


Chapter One- A Disastrous Beginning

"You really don't understand the gravity of the situation, do you Padfoot?" James said exasperated as they made their way through Platform 9 and ¾ to the Hogwarts Express. "

"No, Prongs," Sirius replied. "I think it's more that I don't care!"

"This is my only year left and I still haven't got the girl," James whined. "I just don't get it, Lily and I are meant to be together, and it shouldn't be so difficult!"  
"Maybe it is because you are putting too much pressure on yourself, if it's meant to be it's meant to be," Remus suggested, as they climbed onto the train.

James ran his hand through his unruly black hair and replied with frustration. "Evans still hates me, even though over the past year I've been making the effect to tone down all the things she hates about me, she still won't give me the time of day."

"James," Sirius said with equal annoyance. "I'm really getting tired of hearing this from you, you've been whining all summer!"

James sighed and replied, "I'm sorry Padfoot. I'm just so stuck and I hate being in this situation." Sirius put a comforting hand on James' shoulder as Remus opened up the door to a free compartment. James went to walk in but Remus put his hand up.

"You have got to go to the Head compartment remember?"  
James was filled with excitement as he remembered he gets to spend the whole trip to Hogwarts with Lily. "Any last advice before I go in, boys?" James asked as stood stiff and imitated an officer about to go of to the trenches.

"Don't call her Evans," Remus said.

"And don't talk about yourself," Sirius added.

"Or us,"

"Or Snape,"

"Or…"

James put his hand up. "Okay, okay, I get the message. Talking is a bad idea for me,"

Remus grinned and Sirius replied, "Pretty much!"

James started to feel nerves kicking in as he made his way to the front of the train, realising that he would the next few hours alone with Lily without his friends to give him moral support. He could count on one hand the amount of times he had spent alone with Lily, and none of them for more than ten minutes.

He had discovered at the end of his fifth year that if he was ever going to the girls of his dreams to even look at him with more than comtempt he had to change some of his ways. So he stopped picking on Snape for no reason and asked his friends to do the same. This, of course, didn't stop Snape from throwing the occasional hex at him, which gave him cause to retaliate. James and Snape were always going to be enemies, but James stopped picking the fights, for Lily. He also started studying more with Remus, anxious to get good grades to impress her, which so far it hadn't. But when he had got the letter telling him he had been made Head Boy, he had been enjoyed. Because now he had an opportunity to show her that he had grown up and matured, she had to at least acknowledge that he couldn't be all bad seeing as he had been made Head Boy.

At least this is what James was hoping as he found himself standing outside the compartment door, labelled 'Heads'. Summoning up all his Gryffindor courage, he took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

Of course, Lily Evans was already inside, leaning on elbow on the window and rested her head in her hand as she looked at whoever was going to come into the door.

"Potter, this is the wrong compartment for you. You are not allowed in here," she said in a slightly patronising tone as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

"Sorry, to disappoint you Evans but I am," James replied casually, gesturing at the gleaming 'Head Boy' badge on his chest.

Lily dropped the book that had been sitting in her lap, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening. Immediately recovering herself, she said, "Did you steal that from Remus?"

James shook his head as he placed his shoulder bag in the over head compartment. "No, why would you think I stole it from Moony?'  
He sat down opposite her and she crossed her legs and sat straighter in her chair, a sign she was clearly annoyed. "Because when I found out I was Head Girl he was one of the people I thought might be Head Boy. And seeing as he is your friend it would be easier for you to take it from him, pin it to your own chest and sit in this compartment on our way to Hogwarts."  
James couldn't help but smirk and mimicked her position, crossing his arms over his chest and replied, "And why would I want to do that?"

Even though she narrowed her dark green eyes in annoyance James saw her beautiful face flush slightly. "You know why, Potter. Now can you please leave?"  
James sighed dramatically and ran his hands once again through his hair. "I'm Head Boy, Lily," he said quietly.

"Are you serious?" she asked in a quieter tone, just being to come to the realisation.

James nodded grimly and looked out the window, annoyed with himself for being hurt over her disbelief.

"Oh," she said quietly. James snuck a glance at her and saw she was a little embarrassed.

"I knew you were Head Girl," he said quietly after a long silence, still looking out the window.

He felt Lily's eyes on him and struggled not to look back. "How?" she asked curiously.

Meeting her eyes he replied, "Of course you were going to be Head Girl, no one is better for it than you."

Lily looked guilty and turned her eyes away from him, looking out at the picturesque scene of the Scottish countryside. Guessing he wasn't going to get a reply, James turned to look out the window too, praying over and over that things between them would change this year.

A/N- Well, there you are! The more you review the quicker I update! ;)


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